Home Education: Coronavirus

(asked on 22nd March 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to issue additional covid-19 guidance on restrictions on group education activities for home schooled children.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 25th March 2021

The Government recognises the important role group education activities play in providing enrichment opportunities which support the education of electively home educated children and young people. We also acknowledge the benefits they provide to the development of social skills and attitudes which promote their wellbeing and enhance their physical and mental health.

Any group activities undertaken by home educators should be carried out in line with government guidance.

From 8 March 2021, out-of-school settings (including tuition providers) have been able to open to all children for certain essential purposes. These essential purposes include where the provision is being used by vulnerable children and young people, and other children, where the provision is:

  • reasonably necessary to enable their parents and carers to work, search for work, undertake education or training, or attend a medical appointment or address a medical need, or attend a support group;
  • being used by electively home educating parents as part of their arrangements for their child to receive a suitable full-time education; and
  • being used as part of their efforts to obtain a regulated qualification, meet the entry requirements for an education institution, or to undertake exams and assessments.

We have published updated guidance for providers, setting out the measures they should take to open for more children as safely as possible.

The Department will continue to review the guidance for out-of-school settings in line with the roadmap out of COVID-19 restrictions.

Further information is provided here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/protective-measures-for-holiday-or-after-school-clubs-and-other-out-of-school-settings-for-children-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/protective-measures-for-out-of-school-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

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